ENGLISH RYDER CUP veteran Ian Poulter has said the pressure of representing Europe in the event is far greater than any he has felt at a major championship.
The 36-year-old told BBC Radio 5 that lining up against the United States caused him to be “1,000 times more nervous than you would ever be in a major.
“To be there in a major you want to do it for yourself but you want to do it for so many more reasons in the Ryder Cup.
“You’ve got 11 other guys, captains and vice-captains; you’ve got Europe all watching you and wanting you to do well.
“That just adds a lot of extra pressure.”
Poulter has responded well to the pressure throughout his four Ryder Cups, picking up eight points out of a possible 11 and has never been beaten in singles competition at the event.
However, the world number 24, failed to qualify automatically for this year’s event in Medinah and had to rely on a captains pick from Jose Maria Olazabal.
“Olly is going to be an incredible captain,” said Poulter, “and he’s going to do an incredible job and say the right thing at the right time.”
